


red leaves (warm sunlight)

by WithYourRhythm



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Character Death Fix, Fix-It, Gen, Hokage Orochimaru (Naruto), M/M, Mix-Up No Jutsu Zine, Multi, Past Character Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-15
Updated: 2019-03-15
Packaged: 2019-11-18 14:42:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,624
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18122363
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WithYourRhythm/pseuds/WithYourRhythm
Summary: He has never considered himself as a sentimental creature, but he just can't let this go. He's selfish, and he will hold onto these memories till the day he gets his parents back.(And he will get them back. Let the fools think that he has given up on his search for immortality, but he will always wait for them to live once again.)





	red leaves (warm sunlight)

**Author's Note:**

> My piece for Naruto Mix-Up No Jutsu bonus zine. You can find the details about the zine at this blog!

“It's been a long day,” Tsunade murmurs as she slips her Konoha headband off, her crushing grip tight around it. “Go home, Orochimaru. Get some rest.” _While you can_ , she doesn't say. _Till we get another mission and stay away from Konoha for the next few months._

 

“Well, I don’t know about the bastard, but I definitely will. The forest was a hard ground to sleep on~” Jiraiya jumps between them with a mischievous smile, throwing his arms over his teammates’ shoulders. His hand on Tsunade's shoulder sneaks towards her chest while he keeps babbling like a fool, “Bet Akame-chan has been waiting for me to return! Imagine her being all lonely in that bath house…”

 

Orochimaru sighs and slips under Jiraiya's arm to get out of the way before he flies deep into the forest with Tsunade's punch. He feels too tired to deal with his teammates’ antics, and the scent Land of Water has left on his hair -a wet, musky smell- would get him in a bad mood if he wasn't already feeling murderous after the long, never ending road they ran. Chakra exhaustion makes his bones ache, his blood runs cold under his skin, and he has never got this close to hiss just like Manda.

 

This is an insult to his pride.

 

Tsunade shakes her hand a little, her grumpy expression helping Orochimaru to decide on keeping his distance from her, “Shut up, you idiot.”

 

Without acknowledging Jiraiya’s groans coming behind them, they keep walking in a steady pace, the gates of Konoha looming ahead of them. The sight of red, yellow and green leaves creates a bitter taste on Orochimaru’s mouth. He doesn't know why.

 

“We should go and see Sensei. He is probably waiting for our mission report.” Tsunade says with a grumpy expression.

 

Orochimaru feels his lips twitch. “I agree.” It's a surprise, realizing that he really missed this. Between all the missions they take, it's hard to see his teammates together like this.

 

He's been feeling cold, lately. Colder than usual, a new whisper behind him, hands pushing him towards corpses and experiments. With Tsunade and Jiraiya beside him, it’s as if the sun is shining behind him, warming his back.

 

It's like they bring spring with them.

 

Except, it's been fall for far too long. There's no spring, no sun, no teammates in his lab.

 

He knows that this is just a dream.

 

He wakes up.

 

\--

 

The silent steps keep following him like a shadow, silver strands of hair sway with the wind, a weak chakra signature always following him.

 

Orochimaru sighs, because this is not something he can spare time for. Danzo is waiting for his last research’s report, Sensei is worried about Iwa getting prepared for another move, he has a mission he needs to get ready for before Anko comes and tries to get him into another training session, and-

 

And thinking of his own schedule only makes him want to sigh, a wave of tiredness pulling his limbs down not because of the sleepless nights he had ever since his teammates left, but instead, his newest headache, Namikaze Minato.

 

It's embarrassing enough that the second Orochimaru and Uzumaki Kushina step into the same room, he's there, pulling the last Uzumaki away, but the skeptical look Namikaze has when he sees Orochimaru reminds him of Sarutobi-sensei, the faint hesitation, the _distrust_ he carries in his eyes when he finds time to talk with his only remaining student.

 

Orochimaru wants to snarl at them. He is the only Sannin who stayed in Konoha -who _kept_ his loyalty vow to them, instead of throwing it away for the sake of ghosts or three children that will die the second they are left alone- but he's still seen as an outsider, a never changing circle of hatred and fear turned towards him. It opens a really old wound, one that he has believed was healed when he joined his genin team.

 

Now, he understands that he should've known better.

 

He still can't sleep at nights. Rustling of the dead leaves, the cold, windy air of the fall keeps him awake till the sunrise, and the sound of nonexistent explosive seals going off makes his ears tingle every time Orochimaru closes his eyes.

 

He despises fall.

 

(Red leaves look like Nawaki’s blood, fresh on earth, the cold air is a reminder of the absence of his parents, and as he walks through the streets while people celebrate the coming of fall, the empty space next to him mocks him about the way he was left behind by his own teammates.)

 

(He hates the grief it brings the most.)

 

\--

 

The silver shine that always catches his eyes becomes the end of a scarf with time, then it becomes the rustling of clothes instead of the visible proof of him being followed.

 

Considering his age, son of the White Fang is truly a prodigy with the skills he shows at stealth. Even though Orochimaru always knows the boy is back at it the second he takes a step towards him, there's a progress, hidden beneath the idle, snarky remarks of his. He even learns to hide his scent -which doesn't stop Orochimaru from finding him- but he's improving and the Sannin approves the hard work the boy puts into his training.

 

Being a genius is not about getting everything free, unlike what people like to believe. Orochimaru knows how much it hurts when he cuts the same place for sixth time, or the feeling of the sweat that slides down his neck while he keeps doing push-ups without letting himself rest. The long baths that never helps his aching muscles, dark whispers following him everywhere he went, the genius title that sticks on him like mud after a rainy day-

 

Orochimaru keeps quiet and lets the boy use him as a homework. If he's lucky, this prodigy will be his subordinate one day, and he will get a chance to pick his brain apart and see if he’s worth the privilege Orochimaru is giving him or not.

 

It's not like this is gonna get him into trouble. He only lets a child play as he wishes.

 

He's fine with this little game of hide and seek.

 

\--

 

He couldn't be more wrong, he thinks, as the White Fang ruffles his son's hair and turns his wary eyes towards Orochimaru.

 

“Thank you for bringing my son to me. I'm really sorry for the trouble he caused by following you, Orochimaru-sama.” Apologetic expression of Hatake Sakumo does nothing to hide his sharp attention over the last Sannin in the village. He bows to him, his hand going upwards to catch his son's neck and pull him down to a bow with himself for the sake of politeness.

 

“Just get out of my sight,” Orochimaru's voice carries the annoyance he feels towards this man taking his time, but the rage he feels stays hidden behind his words. “I'm busy.” He knows better than letting his enemies know what he really thinks.

 

“Of course! Sorry for taking your time!” The man flails to bow once again, and Orochimaru turns his back to them.

 

_Ah._

 

Sarutobi-sensei is there. He's watching them, one hand twitching for something -Orochimaru thinks that it can be his staff-, eyes shining with expectation for either forgiveness directed towards the White Fang's son, or a _mistake._

 

(For all the forgiveness Orochimaru gives to this village his parents died for, he still hates it all the same.)

 

The snarl that wants to surface on his face doesn't succeed. He’s not a little boy with no living family anymore, forever scared of going to the empty house of his at nights. He has grown up, and all there is to do is erasing the annoyed look he carries to look at his sensei with blank eyes.

 

No enemy should see his real thoughts.

 

Not until the war begins.

 

\--

 

Orochimaru picks up a dead leaf from his lap and twirls it in his hand. The reddish brown catches sunlight in such a way that it looks like the dried blood of Nawaki, and his summon tightens her coils around his shoulders. It's a familiar comfort, one that he welcomes, even though he doesn't really need it.

 

Then, there are footsteps coming towards him. His beautiful companion hisses right beside his ear, moving slightly.

 

“Orochimaru-sama! Sorry for bothering you, but I wanted to-” The White Fang's cheerful voice falters when Orochimaru turns his eery, yellow eyes towards him. “Uh, your...”

 

Orochimaru lifts an eyebrow, waiting for the man to explain. His hope of relaxing for the rest of his lunch break is nothing but a pointless wish at this point, he might as well learn what the White Fang wants from him.

 

Hatake reaches to his pouch, fumbling a little, “I- I found this at graveyard and thought that it might be yours,” He takes his hand out, and Orochimaru sees his earrings resting in the man's hand.

 

Orochimaru lifts a hand to reach to his ear, and his snake moves her head to sneak under his palm, waiting to be petted. The metallic taste he has on his tongue eases a little.

 

He remembers leaving his earrings right next to his mother's grave just a day before. They belonged to her, and she had always put them on when it was his father's birthday, not to dress up, but because it was the present his father gave her as a marriage proposal. After that mission his parents never managed to come back from, Orochimaru had taken them to wear for his parents’ memory.

 

He has never considered himself as a sentimental creature, but he just can't let this go. He's selfish, and he will hold onto these memories till the day he gets his parents back.

 

(And he _will_ get them back. Let the fools think that he has given up on his search for immortality, but he will always wait for them to live once again.)

 

“I left them at there on purpose.” Because this is what he always does on his parent's birthday. He's selfish, but not to the point where he can take those earrings away from his parents’ graves to disrupt their tradition.

 

White Fang’s eyes get bigger, his hand going towards the back of his neck with embarrassment. He obviously realizes that it was left there for the sake of ghosts, and his shame makes Orochimaru feel the breath he takes in _burn_.

 

The realization dawning on his face looks so much like Nawaki's expression after a lesson with Orochimaru that it hurts.

 

It shouldn’t, though. That was what Tsunade has told him before she disappeared into the woods of Konoha, leaving her whisper of _‘you let him die’_ forever ringing in his ears.

 

The Hatake's eyes dart away from Orochimaru’s face to the hand he pets the snake, and the Snake Sannin feels a pinch of amusement pooling in his gut. “Ah, I see…”

 

There's a moment they both keep still, but then White Fang turns his eyes back to Orochimaru's face with an apologetic expression, and extends the earrings to his way, “Please forgive me for taking them, Orochimaru-sama. Is there anything I can do to make up for my mistake?”

 

Orochimaru sighs, eyeing the red leaves and clouded air, and his snake is there to push her head into his hand again. He hesitates for a moment, but he really had fun while watching the Hatake Clan Head flail, and he's a petty, petty human even with all the grace he contains under his skin.

 

“My beautiful darling,” He runs his hand over his summon's scales one more time, nudging her slightly. The snake stirs for a moment, and starts moving, sliding all the way from his shoulders to arm. “I found someone to keep you warm in this cold weather till I get back from my mission.”

 

White Fang’s face, Orochimaru finds out, can become really _white_ when encouraged.

 

It's a good revenge after the way his son had messed with the wards of one of his labs.

 

\--

 

Orochimaru blinks and- “What?”

 

Namikaze chuckles, reaching the back of his neck with a sheepish expression, “Sakumo-san said that you volunteered to take care of Kakashi. It was a nice thing to do, Orochimaru-sama, thank you!”

 

Orochimaru frowns, “But I didn't do that. The boy just came into my lab and read some books.”

 

The Yellow Flash nods happily, “Yeah, that's how one can babysit him. He doesn't let anyone cuddle him at all.” His expression turns sour.

 

Orochimaru feels his frown deepen.

 

Of all things he has to deal with in this cold air, Hatake Sakumo chooses to make him deal with _this._

 

On the other hand, Namikaze looks like an overexcited puppy instead of the shinobi he is for the first time in front of him, and Orochimaru thinks that it should be okay for this one time.

 

\--

 

“Orochimaru-sama! H- how can I help you?”

 

Orochimaru looks at the blonde chuunin sitting behind the table, already regretting his decision. But he's already there, so he might as well get over with it and disappear into his lab for the rest of the day.

 

“Where’s Hatake Sakumo?” The name leaves a distasteful feeling in his chest.

 

The chuunin’s breath leaves his lungs, he quickly turns back and goes through papers on the shelves, “Uh… He seems to be on a classified mission.”

 

Orochimaru keeps his eyes on him, “Well?”

 

“I- I can't tell you!” The chuunin flails a little, eyes wide with fear, “It's classified! I'm sorry-!”

 

The Sannin keeps a sigh from leaving his lips, getting the paper Danzo gave him from his pouch. The chuunin takes the paper, and he barely feels a twinge of disgust over the fact that he gave up his only chance on going through the classified reports of the Nidaime’s research just to learn about the White Fang's location.

 

He's becoming soft, it seems.

 

(He remembers the White Fang's son standing alone, covered in blood red leaves after a boy fought with him at Academy. Remembers the hunger in the boy's eyes when Orochimaru gives him the take-out he has brought for himself, and the hesitation of his to go back to his home, where his father isn't waiting for him.)

 

Orochimaru decides to go and take a look to learn what’s taking so long for the Hatake to finish the mission.

 

(It's a surprise, but he doesn't regret it.)

 

\--

 

It didn't turn out too bad, he supposes, with Sakumo's arm wrapped around his shoulder, and the Hokage hat resting on his head. Namikaze Minato's smiling, friendly face decorates the entrance of the Hokage's office with his wife, and it could have been much, much worse.

 

He will have to summon Manda once he gets to meet with Kakashi's boyfriend, and he still has to smack Sakumo right on his dumb face for promising Anko dango as much as she can eat, but-

 

But it’s fine. It's _good_ in a way he never thought it would be, and he believes that he can set the wrongs Sensei did right, starting with his teammates. The time for them to meet once again has come, and Orochimaru is sure that they will make the best out of it.

 

After all, they are the Legendary Sannin, three of the strongest shinobi of their generation. Jiraiya as the spy master, Tsunade as the front-line medic, and Orochimaru as the beloved Yondaime Hokage of Konohagakure.

 

There's little they can't do.

 

(The sun shines bright behind his back, flowers smell like his mother's favorite poison, the slight wind messes with his bun, and-

 

And finally, with Sakumo’s hand on his shoulder, it's _spring_.)


End file.
